Traveling into outer space is scary, fun, and a possibility for anyone who's willing to work hard enough to get there.

By Emily Sohn, 00:00 AM September 8, 2003

On Feb. 1, just minutes before it was scheduled to land, the space shuttle Columbia tore apart, killing all seven of its crew. Early on, engineers suspected that the impact of a chunk of insulating foam, which had come loose from the main fuel tank during liftoff, had damaged the shuttle's left wing, leading to the disaster.

Last month, accident investigators confirmed that falling foam had caused the tragedy. However, their final report also blamed poor management. The people in charge at the...